Amid Trump’s push, Minnesota Democrats walk a fine political line on transgender athletes

As the Trump administration promises “imminent enforcement action” against Minnesota for its policy allowing transgender athletes to play girls high school sports, the state’s top Democrats are struggling to navigate what’s become a thorny political issue.

Democrats across the state have condemned the Trump administration’s actions, which threatens state education funding. But many stop short of saying where they stand on the policy itself, which allows transgender girls to compete in girls high school sports in Minnesota.

Public polling shows a majority of voters don’t think transgender athletes should compete in women’s sports and favor creating policies that prohibit their participation. At least a few high-profile Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, have publicly signaled their own discomfort with policies allowing it.

“It’s not a bumper sticker issue, there’s a lot of nuance around this,” said Lanae Erickson, a senior vice president of the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way, which has conducted polling and research on how Democrats should talk about transgender athletes in sports.

“None of them are the head of a sports association, so it’s not necessarily their job to make the rules. But they’re all very worried about the dynamics of public opinion here.”

Minnesota is facing a Friday deadline from the administration to take action, though it’s unclear if the federal government will issue any kind of sanctions by that date. But the threat has kept an issue at the forefront that Republicans are using ahead of the midterm election to portray Democrats as extreme.

A New York Times-Ipsos survey from early January found 79% of Americans, including 67% of Democrats and 64% of independents, do not think transgender female athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

The Minnesota State High School League’s board of directors in 2015 voted to open girls sports to transgender student athletes. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has backed that position, pointing to the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes gender identity as a protected class.

Earlier this year, Minnesota’s six Democrats in Congress all voted against a Republican bill that sought to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The bill passed the U.S. House nearly along party lines, but Democrats blocked it in the Senate.

But since the federal government set its deadline, Minnesota’s six Democrats in Congress and Gov. Tim Walz, who’s bashed fellow Democrats for throwing “a trans child under the bus,” would not clarify their positions on the policy. That includes Rep. Ilhan Omar, the most progressive Democrat in the congressional delegation, who declined to comment when asked to respond to the policy and the threat from the federal government.

Most pivoted to talk about the federal government shutdown instead.

“It’s mind-blowing that in the midst of a government shutdown, the Trump administration is taking food off of Minnesotans’ tables, is ripping away healthcare from millions of Americans, and is now focused on picking on kids,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said in a statement.

A Walz spokesperson said that “the Governor knows this issue is purely a distraction used by Republicans in Washington while they defund Americans’ health care, drive up costs, and shut down the federal government.”

In a statement, Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the decision should be left to local school districts. “We should be focused on reopening the government and working to address rising costs, including for the 90,000 Minnesotans who could see their health insurance premiums double if Congress doesn’t act.”

Rep. Angie Craig also said decisions on this issue should be left to parents, sports associations and school districts, “not the federal government,” but similarly stopped short of saying whether she supports the state’s policy or not.

“I stand with Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison in defending our laws, our commitment to inclusion, and our respect for one another,” Rep. Betty McCollum said in a statement.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, the former longtime chair of the Minnesota DFL, also declined to comment.

“They’re losing on all these cultural issues — whether it’s DEI, immigration — these are issues that Trump has used to win over working-class Americans,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who’s worked on several presidential campaigns, including former Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s bid in 2011.

“I think the message has been sent that nobody on their side should be emphasizing these issues moving forward,” Conant said.

Most Republicans, from Minnesota’s four members in Congress to some Republicans running for governor, try to tie the issue to Walz. State Rep. Kristin Robbins, who is running for governor, applauded the federal government on X for “standing up for female athletes” in the state.

Rep. Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, said the federal government was holding Walz and Minnesota accountable. “Minnesota’s so-called leaders’ refusal to protect female athletes must end,” he posted on X.

State Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first transgender lawmaker, has been following the Virginia gubernatorial race closely and thinks it’s a sign Republicans will continue to use the issue against Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Regardless of how Minnesota Democrats respond to the question, Finke says she is confident in the state and party’s position on the issue.

“Every campaign has its own calculus,” Finke said. “I don’t begrudge our leaders here in Minnesota from having to understand the calculus of their campaigns. I know where we as a state stand. I know where we as a party stand, and I fully expect that that will continue.”